My mate Ian's round the world race with Clipper Ventures…...
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Last night n the dark and in the middle of the Southern Ocean, Ian had a problem (I do not know what yet), which necessitated him having to go up the mast, whatever the problem was, it was so bad that he had to take another member of crew up with him.
At some point the 2 of them collided (now just try to imagine this, 70 foot up the mast in the dark with the boat swaying like crazy). Ian thinks he may have cracked his ribs but is pretty sure his nose is not broken.
I hope to have more news soon….
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Jesus! Hope he is alright. Sending good thoughts into the middle of the Atlantic.
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So, just found out what happened. Speeding downwind with the spinnaker up, a gust of wind corkscrewed the boat and the spinnaker wrapped round the mast. So Ian and another guy had to get hauled up the mast to unwrap it. At some point the other guy (who is bigger than Ian) flew round the mast on the end of the rope and smashed Ian into the mast. Result, very damaged Ian.
To make matters worse, they then had to cut the spinnaker adrift. So, the boat no longer has a spinnaker…....
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OK, so in his own words….
“After the heavy weather passed we started getting the boat up to speed and by last night we were flying along under the medium kite. In the early hours of this morning we decided to drop the kite as the wind was building.
“Unfortunately as with all things the problem started with one small problem in that the guy jammed, next thing we knew we had an almighty kite wrap. This required a trip up the mast to try to clear, which is exciting at the best of times. Mark went up and managed to free the halyards but unfortunately lost his grip when a big wave hit, swinging him all the way round the rig,” explains the Chinese entry’s skipper.
“After this we had to change halyards to lower him safely but unfortunately his control line (to stop him swinging) broke, causing him to swing from side to side violently. One swing he came my way and managed to wipe me out giving me a nice nose bleed all over the deck! Seven hours later and we managed to recover most of the kite and began racing again, but unfortunately we lost a lot of time drifting around with no sails up which has cost us dearly.”
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Update from Sarah, Ian's betrothed:
Had a great chat with Ian this morning, longer than we should have probably! He slept for ten hours solid and is feeling much better. The ribs are not too bad if he keeps moving and Jimbo the medic keeps offering him drugs every two hours. He has a fat lip and a cut on his nose but being a human cushion was never going to end well. He is on good form and sat and thought about went wrong and made plans for it not to happen again. All the crew are fine and are busy sorting out the boat. The medium weight kite still has bits up the mast and they will have to wait until oz to find out if its repairable
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I was chatting to one of the Clipper Race Team today. Not having the mid weight spinnaker is a massive handicap in medium to strong winds. Ian is entering some light winds now and will therefore be able to use his lightweight spinnaker. If Ian and the team cant repair the mid weight when they get to Geraldton, he will have to get a new one wich will cost him 4 penalty points…
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good speed, i am looking for him in New York next summer. can't go jumping off the ship & beating up his crew.
jeez
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And the next leg has started…....
http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/index.php/follow/race-viewer/
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One of Ian's crew fell badly last week and damaged her back badly enough for Ian to have to divert to Tasmania to drop her off for hospital treatment. Net effect is that Ian is currently at the back of the fleet.
Singapore had problems with her main steering, so had to divert to Melbourne to get it fixed. The crew took the decision to retire form this leg and put the engine on.
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Qingdao accepts ninth place in Race 5 - 24 November 2011
Following a meeting with his crew, Qingdao skipper, Ian Conchie, has confirmed to the Race Committee he and his team are willing accept ninth place to ensure they arrive in Tauranga with enough time to prepare for the next race to Gold Coast.
The Race Committee offered the Chinese entry the option to accept ninth place in the early hours of Thursday morning (local time), with the team accepting the offer allowing Qingdao to make best speed and course for Tauranga.
Qingdao was forced to divert to Hobart, Tasmania, during the race to New Zealand when an injured crew member needed on shore medical attention. With light winds forecasted over the next 72 hours, Ian and his crew decided this to be the best course of action as they look to make head way to Tauranga.
“Our goal is now to start preparing for the next race and to return to our more competitive position within the fleet and chase the podium we all desire,” reveals skipper, Ian.
“We are heartened by the fact that despite our diversion we managed to make good gains on the boats in front of us but now with the wind gods being unkind we have to focus on the races ahead of us and regroup, recharge and prepare.
“We thank the Race Committee for their hard work in running the race and in allowing us to make this difficult call,” he continues.
Along with fellow competitors Singapore, Qingdao is expected in Tauranga, New Zealand on Sunday 27 November.
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damn this hasn't been a walk in the park
